True Believer
by dominiqueharmon
Summary: Sequel to "You're Still The One"
1. Chapter 1

Erin and I have been married for a few months and it has been amazing. She moved into my apartment with me a month before we got married. We were starting to think it was getting a little small but it was fine. She was still traveling to cover games from time to time but she's looking for other options so she doesn't have to be away for so long. Especially for when we have a family, we've talked about it for a long time and we both really wanted it.

Anyways, I never really did have to travel but when I did Erin liked to come with me. It was only once or twice a year so she could get out of work easy. The dancers at my studio had won a spot in nationals so we get to go to Malibu for a competition in January and Erin decided to tag along. We hadn't been to California that much since DWTS so we decided to make it a big vacation kind of a thing.

-  
We got to the hotel a day before the dancers so we could just relax. We checked into a beautiful seaside hotel

When I was checking in Erin watched the big screen in the lobby-ironically playing ESPN- then she stood in the doorway that lead to the pool

"Maks! Look"  
"Coming" I signed a paper and the clerk handed me the room key "You could help me with the luggage you know" she still stood there in awe of the pool area. I put our bags in the storage room that the hotel provided for everyone so they could go around town without a worry of their bags being tampered with before the 2:00 check in time  
I stood behind her and wrapped my arms around her waist "Wow"  
"I know" it was beautiful. There was a pool, a restaurant, a ping pong table, and a lounge area set up with tables with a fountain by it "Can we go look. Please?" she had a huge smile on her face and a gleam in her eye  
"Sure. Come on" I took her hand and she lead me down the long concrete steps to look at the restaurant. We started looking at the menu that was placed in the window. A waitress was cleaning up from the morning rush and she smiled at us before continuing to wipe down a table  
"Open for breakfast and dinner. Ooh babe they have smoothies!"  
I chuckled and we continued to look at the menu "It looks good. Want to get something now?"  
"Sure" we walked inside the small dining area and the waitress walked out again  
"Go ahead and take a seat. I'll be right with you"  
We took a seat in the corner table in front of the TV. That one was playing ESPN as well  
"Aww look. SportsCenter" she smiled at the TV probably thinking about the day we met.

Once I walked in the room I was breathless by how beautiful she was. I even had a little love at first sight feeling, a few months later she said that she did too. We hit it off and the rest is history. We've been back to the set a few times and we're always so amazed of how far we've come

The waitress came back out and took our orders, Erin got a salad and sandwich and I got a sandwich as well. The restaurant was pretty empty. There was another couple in the corner and a group of teenagers on the deck outside.

We finished our lunch and continued to look around the hotel. It was a lot bigger than we originally thought. We went through the pool area and Erin discovered a bungalow hidden behind it that was a spa. Up the steps there was a barbecue area with another big fountain. We walked around the back of the restaurant past some of the rooms and back around towards where we started. We sat down at one of the outside tables when we saw a mom take her two kids down to the ping ping area. It was pretty nice; it looked like a miniature house with three walls and of course the table in the middle. The grassy area that we were on was above the ping pong table and there was a little bit of the roof sticking out with a window. We could see the family playing and as Erin and I were talking I noticed her look down there a few times.

"I want that to be us one day" she seemed to really admire them. The mom looked like she was Erin's age and she already had two kids, a little boy that was about three with curly red hair and his older sister that was probably five. Typical little girl that probably always had her hair in pigtails and always wearing pink  
"It'll happen babe" I kissed her head and we stayed there a little while longer watching them

We checked into our room later that day and we walked around town for a little while before we came back to our room at 9:00. Erin was exhausted so she fell asleep before I had. I had to get up at early to pick everyone up from the airport and the competition was the day after. I was happy that Tony was coming and Cheryl was in town so she would be in the audience watching

I woke up at 9:30 and kissed Erin goodbye so I could make my drive to LAX. I picked them up and I was back to the hotel by 11:00. They left their bags at the hotel then they went to practice in their rooms before leaving to eat

"Erin. Babe I'm back" I didn't hear anything so I assumed she was still asleep. She wasn't in bed or on the balcony either "Erin" I heard a sound from the bathroom  
"In here" she sounded sick  
"Are you ok?"  
"No"  
I walked in the bathroom and she was sitting on the floor against the bathtub. I went to her side and hugged her "What happened?"  
"I don't know. I just feel sick"  
"Is it a cold or something?"  
"No. A little while after you left my stomach felt funny then I felt nauseous and I started throwing up"  
"Why didn't you call me?" I started stroking her hair  
"I knew you were probably driving and I figured you would be back soon"  
"Are you ok now?"  
"I guess. I just didn't feel like getting up or anything"  
"I'm going to stay with you today alright?"  
"I'm fine. You need to go help rehearse"  
"Tony is here, he can take care of it"  
"Are you sure?"  
"Uh-huh"  
"Ok. Thank you" she wrapped her arms around me before kissing my cheek "Do you mind if I shower real quick?"  
"May I join you?"  
"Oh shut up" she slapped my arm and I helped her get up  
"I'll be out here if you need me"

She came out within twenty minutes in her sweats and she laid down and put her head on my chest  
"Got lonely?"  
"Sure" she sounded really out of it  
I kissed her head and rubbed her back "Feeling better?"  
"Not really. I'll probably be back to normal later"  
"Try to take a nap or something"  
She nodded and pulled the blankets up and cuddled up to me more

She fell asleep for a few hours but she seemed a little better after her nap so I got us food from the restaurant. After we ate we went back to bed

At about seven I felt Erin get out of bed and she went to the bathroom again. I got up and went to find her dry heaving

"Maks" she started coughing  
I started rubbing her and I pulled her close "You'll be fine. You'll be ok"

"Babe what do you think is going on?"  
I didn't really know but then it hit me- she was pregnant. Morning sickness and she even had a little bit of mood swings before we left. I didn't want to get her hopes up so I kept it to myself.  
"I don't know" we sat there for a while then we got in bed so she could sleep a little.

I felt bad leaving her there but I rehearsed a little before coming back to see if she was up to going to watch us perform. She said yes so she got up to get ready and we left. Luckily the competition was in the ballroom towards the back of the hotel so if she got sick she could go back upstairs. She held onto me the whole way down

"Do you feel ok? You don't have to watch"  
"I'm fine. Probably just a bug, I'll be ok"  
"If you get sick go upstairs and call me so I can go help you alright?"  
"Babe I'm going to be fine" she sat down in the front row "Cheryl!"  
"Hey! How's the happy couple?"  
"We're good"  
"I better go get ready" I kissed Erin's cheek  
"Good luck"  
I went to the dressing rooms to get ready. I sighed as I sat down in my chair

"Hey Tony"  
"Hey. What's wrong?"  
"It's just Erin. She's been sick the whole time that we've been here"  
"Really? How sick?"  
"She was throwing up yesterday and today- just in the morning- then she seemed better and she's been a little moodier than usual"  
"Ahh. I think someone is going to be a father"  
"What? No- I- I thought so too but I don't know"  
"My wife was the same way when she got pregnant. You never know. Take her to a doctor when you get back home"  
"What do you think she'll say?"  
"Usually when they find out they either cry and want to be alone or they'll be extremely happy but knowing you guys she'll be ecstatic"  
"She'd be so happy. Thanks Tony"  
"No problem. Tell me how it goes"

We were the third to dance and Erin looked pretty happy especially when we got first place. After that we all drove into Los Angeles to eat at STK. Erin sat next to me the whole time saying how proud she was of me for winning. She talked to Cheryl a little too but she pulled her away after they finished the main course

(Kind of from Erin's POV, Maks doesn't know why they're doing or saying) 

I pulled her aside and started pacing  
"I can't do it Cheryl, I can't"  
"What? What's wrong?"  
"I've been getting sick and I think it's morning sickness and if it is then-"  
"You think you're pregnant?"  
I nodded "I really want a family but I'm not ready. I still travel a lot and Maks' apartment isn't the most ideal place to raise kids and-"  
"Erin, you'll be fine. Just go to a doctor or something to make sure. Don't jump to conclusions"  
"Yeah. I just need to calm down"  
"Yes you do"  
"Thanks Cheryl" I smiled at her before hugging her and we went back to our table. Everyone was getting ready to leave and Maks smiled at me

"You alright?"  
"Yeah. Ready to go?"  
"Uh-huh" he turned to his dancers and said goodbyes before driving back to the hotel.

It was about 8:00 and we didn't feel like going to sleep so we decided to go play ping pong

"Babe. Can I ask you something?"  
"Sure" he served the ball and watched as it went over the net  
"I've been thinking, with this whole 'me being sick' thing I thought maybe I-"  
"Might be eating for two now"  
"Yeah"  
"Well there's only one way to find out. If you're sick again tomorrow then that might be the obvious answer but you should see a doctor once we get home"  
"Ok, sounds reasonable. One more thing, would you be excited?"  
"Of course. You know I want a family as much as you do"  
"Well then let's hope this is it"  
We both smiled and continued the game before going back upstairs

"Wake up"  
She moaned and turned the other way "What?"  
"We have to check out soon remember?"  
"Fine" she mumbled and got out of bed to go get ready in the bathroom "Hey, I'm feeling-" she held her stomach "Uh-oh"  
I followed her into the bathroom and held her close when she was done. I pulled her onto my lap and she put her head on my chest  
"I think you need to see a doctor when we get home"  
She nodded and we got up and ready to leave

We got down to the lobby "Well this trip has been pretty enjoyable. Other than the mornings"  
"We'll have this all resolved soon" I kissed her cheek and returned the room key

After an afternoon flight back home I called her doctor as soon as we walked in the door

"Uh-huh.. Ok.. Thank you"  
"What did they say?"  
"They can take you first thing tomorrow"  
"Alright" she pulled out her phone and started typing  
"What are you doing?" I sat next to her on the couch and saw that she was googling "Pregnancy symptoms". "Erin don't do that"  
"I have most of this though"  
"Well, we'll see tomorrow. Let's go to bed"

"Hello Mrs. Andrews. How are you?"  
"I'm alright"  
"So what did you come in for today?"  
"We were in Malibu over the weekend and she started getting nauseous but only in the mornings"  
"I was thinking 'maybe I'm pregnant' but we just want to be sure"  
"Ok, no problem. We'll take a blood test and some other things and have you back in a few days for the results"

Erin's eyes grew wide at the sight of the needle  
"I need another vile, be right back"  
She started to whisper "Let's go. I'd rather be on the celebrity edition of 'I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant' than have to get near needles"  
"You'll be fine"  
"She has to get another vile!"  
"It'll only be a pinch"  
"Oh shush you know it's more than that"  
"Sorry about that" she walked back in and put four viles on the table. When she turned her back Erin have me a look like she wanted to kill the doctor and I.  
"Run!" she mouthed  
I shook my head  
"Go ahead and roll up your sleeve"  
She slowly did as told and watched as the doctor wrapped a rubber strip around her arm "Ok. This will only hurt for a second. It'll be over before you know it"  
I grabbed her hand and Erin put her head on my chest. I felt her flinch from the pain and she grabbed my hand harder  
"That's it! You'll need to do another test or two then you'll be on your way"

Once we were done we made an appointment to come back that Thursday when the results were expected back in.

"See? That wasn't so bad"  
"You owe me"  
"For what?"  
"I don't know just.. get me a burger or something. I'm starving"  
I chuckled "Cravings already?"  
"It's your fault"  
"And mood swings.."  
"You just had to have your way. I had too much wine that night. 'You'll be fine Erin. Its only one more time' Too many times Maks!"  
"Calm down, you'll be fine"  
"There you go again"  
"Let's just get your food"  
"I'm sorry!"  
"I'm confused"  
"With what?"  
"If that was you normal then how will you be with mood swings?"  
"Just drive"

"This is it" we had been sitting in the examination room for what seemed like an eternity before we heard a soft knock  
"Hello, hello. Ready to hear the results?"  
"Yes we are"  
"Ok so all of the tests are unanimous"  
Erin held my hand and gave it a light squeeze  
"Congratulations. You guys are going to be parents"  
"Oh my gosh!"  
I gave Erin a kiss before the doctor continued  
"I can't tell you much more than that so you'll need an OBGYN to figure out how far along you are and things like that"  
"Ok. Thank you"  
She left the room and I kissed Erin again  
"It's finally happening!"  
"I know" she kissed me and we felt like the luckiest people in the world 


	2. Chapter 2

Later that day, Erin found an OBGYN office close to our apartment and she called to make an appointment

She put her hand over the receiver and looked at me "I can get in tomorrow at three. Is that ok?"  
I nodded and she continued the conversation with the person on the other end  
"Alright. All set" she sat down next to me on the couch  
"Awesome"  
"Doesn't this feel so surreal?"  
"It's taking a while to sink in but I'm happy"  
"Me too" she kissed my cheek

Once again we were in a doctor's office anxiously awaiting for her to come in

"Hello" She shook our hands and took a seat "I see your new here and by the looks of these forms you are pregnant. First of all, congratulations"  
"Thank you"  
"Ok so since I have some of your test results here I won't need to do as much. I only have a few things to do"  
After a few tests she pieced everything together  
"You are about seven weeks along. How much morning sickness have you had? "It's only been recently. Well there was one time about a month ago but I thought of it as nothing. It was at night"  
"What led up to your nausea?"  
"We were going to go out to dinner and I had a little bit of a headache then I started feeling a little nauseous"  
"Maks, were you wearing cologne?"  
"Probably"  
"Usually your sense of smell increases so that's what might have caused it. Morning sickness only lasts until you're about twelve weeks. Any longer than that is when we start to worry. Can you step on the scale real quick?"  
"Sure" she got off the examining table and she stepped on the scale  
"One twenty nine. How tall are you?" Even though Erin wasn't a whole lot taller, she looked up a little  
"Five-ten" she said unenthusiastically  
"Hmm. I think you might need to gain a little bit of weight"  
"Huh?" she didn't seem too happy with the idea  
"You're a little underweight for where you should be at. Morning sickness causes weight loss sometimes and by your third or fourth month you would have gained at least 3-5 pounds. With your height you should be somewhere between 135 and 165. You can gain it easily. Eat your regular foods. It's better to have a lot of smaller meals than three big ones"  
"When can we find out the gender?"  
"At about eighteen weeks. We can do you first ultrasound at twelve" she continued to scribble away on her notepad "You don't smoke or drink right?"  
"No"  
"That's good. Other than that you should be ok until your next appointment. Any questions?"  
"Do you know when the due date might be?"  
"Right! Sorry. It'll probably be sometime in early August. Maybe August 12th"  
"Alright. Thank you"  
"See you in a month" she left the room

"Well that's a lot to remember"  
"Yup. I have to gain weight?"  
"You knew you were going to anyways"  
"I know"  
I kissed her shoulder "It'll be worth it babe"

Erin was about nine weeks along now and she had to go to Chicago for a college game. It was already February and a lot of sports had started up. I decided to go with her to her games just in case she needed me because we hadn't told anyone yet. The doctor said that your first pregnancy is easier to hide so Erin took advantage of it while she could.

We were getting ready to leave for the airport and I was waiting for Erin in our room

"Are you ready yet?"  
"Uh-oh"  
"What's wrong?" I ran over to her  
"I can't fit in my jeans!"  
"Oh, Erin.."  
"But I can't really- Ugh! I'm going to turn into a fat cow"  
"No you won't"  
"Let me just throw on a dress or something"  
"Alright. You'll be fine" I kissed her forehead and she came out in loose dress. She walked into the kitchen so I followed her  
"I'm even starting to show a little" she pulled a bag of strawberries out of the fridge  
"I'm sure you can barely tell"  
"WebMD says that you don't show a whole lot but you show in your abdomen at eleven weeks. It's weird"  
"You shouldn't talk with your mouth full"  
"Sorry. Besides, you know me by now. This isn't much of a shock" she took a few more bites before putting the bag away  
I shrugged my shoulders "Come on. We better get to the airport"

We got to Chicago about 9:00 and we went straight to bed for her 5:00AM call time

She woke up without any nausea but she got concerned on the drive there  
"What if I throw up on the field or get a headache or something?"  
"I'm here for you babe. You won't, you're almost at twelve weeks so it shouldn't be that bad"  
She hesitated before asking her next question "When do you think we should tell people?"  
"I don't know. What do you think?"  
"I don't know. Who would we tell first?"  
"Who do you want to?"  
"Family I guess, maybe Cheryl and closer friends after that"  
"Sounds good. Maybe at a family gathering or something"  
"Like?"  
"You're birthday is too late"  
"Yeah, I'd be.. ugh six months" she made a face  
"We can meet up with your parents and Kendra I guess. Tell them then call my parents and everyone else. Don't you have to go to Florida for a game?"  
"Yeah, we can do that then. I can lay low for a while. What about the media? If they care then they'll have a field day"  
"Twitter?"  
"Once rumors get out then we can 'address it' there"  
"I guess that sounds good. I can't wait, I don't like keeping it to myself"  
"The one thing you want to tell the world is what we need to keep a secret"

The game went good. Erin didn't get sick but I felt a little weirded out when she texted me in the middle of the game to ask me if I could get her a hot dog and a pickle. The cravings should be very interesting when they come..

Anyways, we flew back home that night and I found Erin in our closet once we got home. She stood there looking confused

"What are you doing?"  
"I'm going to need maternity clothes" she pulled out a curve hugging dress and had a longing in her eyes that made her want to throw it on without having to worry about what she'd look like.  
"You're not even showing"  
"Yes I am" she took my hand and placed it on her stomach  
"There is nothing there"  
"Yeah there is. Here" she moved my hand a little lower and I felt a slight bump  
"Aww. Our baby"  
She smiled a little and leaned against me  
"You'll be seeing more of it soon. I'm growing by the minute"  
"No" I kissed her  
She nodded "You know, I don't like calling it an 'it'. Would you want to find out what it is?"  
"It would be nice. If would probably be easier too"  
"Let's see if we can at the appointment next week"

"Hi guys" She shook our hands then sat down "So Erin, has there been any more morning sickness?"  
"It pretty much stopped at eleven weeks"  
"That's good. So today you're getting your ultrasound right?"  
"Yup"  
The doctor pulled out the machine from the corner of the room and set it next to the cot "Go ahead and pull up your shirt. This is going to be kind of cold" she squirted the blue liquid onto Erin's slowly growing stomach. An image appeared on the screen moments later  
"There's your baby" a clear image of the head came up  
"Look Maks" she was completely in awe of it  
"I see her" I personally have been calling it a "her and Erin has too but she's been leaning more towards "him"  
"Can we find out the gender?"  
"No, not at twelve weeks. You usually can at eighteen and sometimes earlier but I probably won't see you until eighteen weeks"

She gave us a few stills of the ultrasound to take home and we scheduled our appointment and we went home

Erin had to go to Florida for a game which was the perfect opportunity to tell her parents and Kendra

We showed up at their doorstep kind of as a surprise, Kendra knew we were coming but she didn't know what for

"I'm nervous"  
"It'll be fine. They'll be happy"  
Erin's mom opened the door "Erin!"  
"Hi mom" they hugged each other before her mom hugged me  
"What are you doing here? I wasn't expecting you"  
"I was covering a game and Maks and I kind of have a surprise for you so we thought we'd drop by. Kendra and dad are home right?"  
"Yeah let me get them"  
She returned with them and we all sat down to eat dinner. After they said their hellos and caught up a little, Erin and I wanted to say it  
"I told mom we were here because we had a surprise and.. Maks do you want to say it?"  
"I think you should"  
"Ok. Umm well, I'm pregnant"  
"Shut up. Really?"  
"Uh-huh"  
"My baby is having a baby!"  
"Mom!" everyone hugged Erin and asked her a lot of questions  
"Ok, ok. One at a time"  
"How far along are you?"  
"Fifteen weeks. That means three and a half months Kendra"  
"Thanks" she said sarcastically as she took a bite of her food  
"Now Erin if you need any advice, I'm here for you. Have your ankles swollen or-"  
"Mom, I'm barely showing"  
"I'm sorry, I'm just really happy"  
"What's it going to be sis?"  
"I went a few weeks ago and they couldn't tell yet but when I go next month we should find out"  
"This is so exciting. Name it after me ok?"  
"I'm not naming my kid after my sister, that's just weird"  
"What names do you have in mind?"  
"Misty" Maks finally joined the conversation  
"Misty? I'm not naming it Misty. 'Misty Andrews-Chmerkovskiy' No"  
"Are you sure? I have a few other winners that you may like" I gave a sly grin  
"Why would someone name their kid Misty?"  
"You know I'm kidding right?"  
"You better be. Misty?"  
"Ok babe just drop it"  
"Gladly. I actually don't know what we would name it. We haven't talked much about it"  
"What do you not want to name it?"  
"No Russian names Maks"  
"Wouldn't that be cool though?" the red head piped in "You could name it.. Maks what's a good Russian name?  
Erin stopped me before I could say anything "Don't say anything Maks. Kendra stay out of this. You name your kid a Russian name"  
"You got it. Maks when I have a baby and I need names, you'll be the first I call"  
"My dad's name isn't that bad. Aleksander. My middle name is similar"  
"I could see that. Alex. Not bad Russian"  
"Thank you"  
"What about for a girl?"  
"I'm clueless when it comes to girl things so.. Maks you take this. American names if you can"  
"Umm. Heather?"  
"Too simple"  
"Gwyneth?"  
"Ehh. Better"  
"Mia, Taylor, Rachel, Emma, Tina-"  
"Still kinda simple. Mia is kind of nice I guess"  
"What about Leighton or Bree or Blake or Blair? From Gossip Girl?"  
"I named Glee names for you. Why Gossip Girl?"  
"I like that show"  
"Isn't that show.. Not good?"  
"Sometimes.. She won't find out"  
"Well we have time"

After we ate dinner we went back to the hotel and back home the next day

Erin and I had nothing to do at home before our appointment so we thought it would be a good idea to look at things for the baby, it wasn't the same on the Internet. We found a store close to the doctor's office.

"This place is huge" Erin was holding my hand looking around from the door  
"I know" we walked in and Erin immediately walked towards the clothes  
"Aww isn't this cute?" she picked up a pink one piece  
"Since when have you wanted a girl?"  
"Since when have I not?"

I shrugged and we continued to look around  
"What theme would we make the room if it was a boy"  
"Sp-"  
"Let me guess: sports"  
"Of course" she started eyeing the wallpaper with a baseball pattern on it "And what will you make it if it's a girl? Ballet dancers?" she pointed to another pattern  
"I'm not a ballet dancer but maybe something with a dancer would be nice"  
I looked at the wallpaper too and was shocked by the price. "The wallpaper is kind of expensive. Maybe we can just paint it"  
"Oh. Yeah, good idea"

We have since told people about the news. We confirmed it on Twitter the week before once rumors started going around- we kinda knew we had to when people said the baby wasn't mines. After the whole bachelor thing Erin was linked to a few guys but the media blew it out of proportion. We tried to keep that piece of the past behind us

Erin stopped in front of the furniture and put a hand on her hip, looking deep in thought.  
"Where could we put this stuff? The guest room isn't big enough and we still need a guest room"  
"I haven't thought about that. I was thinking about keeping her in our room for a while but she'll need her own room"  
"Do you think we should start looking for a house?"  
"Probably. Nothing too big and crazy though. I don't think we need a ranch in the Hampton's"  
"Yes, because our newborn needs horses around"  
"Don't start"  
She smiled and walked over to a crib "'Interchangeable crib. Grows with your baby: crib, daybed, regular bed' Hmm. What do you think babe?"  
"How much?"  
"Two seventy-five"  
"Not that bad"  
"Ooh. What about these?" she pointed to a mobile "I heard that certain ones make your baby smarter like ones that have patterns or that are black and white or play music"  
"How?"  
She shrugged "They just do"  
After ten more minutes of looking at themes and discussing why we shouldn't make the baby too involved with sports by the time it's out of the womb, I decided we should leave.  
"Why don't we come back after the appointment so we can pick things out a little easier? To be honest, I'm kind of overwhelmed"  
"Ok"

The image that was just an oval a few weeks before was starting to look more and more like a baby

"You're finding out the gender right?"  
"Yes"  
"Ok" she moved the machine around a little more  
"There's our little Misty. I whispered in her ear  
"Oh shush. I'm trying to enjoy this"  
"It looks like.. It's a girl. Congratulations!"  
"Oh my gosh!"  
"Congrats babe" I kissed her and the doctor continued looking around  
"So it's a girl and it's only one baby. I'm keeping the due date the same and other then that there isn't much else. Any questions?"  
"No. I don't think so"  
"Oh Erin do you wear contacts?"  
"Yeah"  
"Sometimes your eyes get drier from eighteen, nineteen weeks and up so your contacts may start to feel uncomfortable. There isn't much to do other than putting something on your contacts or wearing glasses for a while"  
"Ok. Thank you"

We went back to the store after that to get a few clothes but we wanted to save the furniture until we knew where to put it

"I hate being a celebrity sometimes because I want to tell people these things but it's hard"  
"Call Cheryl and Kendra and everyone"  
"I will" she pulled out her phone and put it on speaker "Let's tell my parents"  
"That was fast"  
"I can't contain my excitement babe"  
"Hello?"  
"Hey dad. Are mom and Kendra there?"  
"Yeah, let me get them"  
"Maks and I have a little more news. It's a girl!"  
"Eww, congratulations sis! Now more of an excuse to give it my name"  
"Still not giving it your name"  
"You suck. Maks, please convince her to-"  
"Congratulations Erin"

After a few minutes of that, Erin called Niecy- whose loud scream I heard without Erin even having it on speaker-, Cheryl, Anna and a few people from ESPN

"I can't believe I'm having a girl. Now we have to focus on the names. No 'Misty' ok?"  
"You know you love it"  
She rolled her eyes "What normal names do you like?"  
"I don't know. What about Alexandria?"  
"Nah. I mean, I guess its ok but it's not my first choice"  
"What do you have in mind?"  
"Isabella?"  
"Then we'd end up calling her Bella. Twilight"  
"Right"  
"Brea?"  
"Brea? What was wrong with Alexandria?"  
"I have an idea" she got up from the couch and came back with two pens and paper "You write names that you like and I'll do the same. We'll trade then cross out what we hate from each other's. Sound good?" she ripped the piece of paper in half and gave me a pen  
"All right now?"  
"Not if you don't want to. We can keep the list for a while and add on"  
"Ok"  
She started writing down a list of names  
"That was fast"  
"I have a few in minds. Remember, no names of exes or any pets. Stuff like that"

Erin was halfway through her pregnancy now and she still had a few jobs to travel around to

"Erin, how much longer are you going to have to travel? I don't think it's really good for you"  
"Well, I have this month and a little bit of next month then they want to keep me off of work. They said I could do Sports Center or something behind a desk if I want"  
"Do you want to?"  
"I do but I need to focus on the baby. We still have to buy things and look at houses so I'll probably spend the rest of the time off"  
"Sounds good"  
"Do you think I'll be a good mom?"  
"Of course you will. You'll be an amazing mom"  
"And you'll be her amazing Russian dad" 


	3. Chapter 3

It was one of Erin's last trips and we had to go to California for a USC vs. Florida game. She was about five months now and she was starting to show more. She took me into the office with her and kept saying it was exciting that Florida was playing one of the last games she was covering

"They keep on saying that they have surprises for me. I'm kind of nervous" her phone rang and she picked it up "Hello? Uh-huh.. He does?.. Ok. I'll be in my office. Bye"  
"Who was that?"  
"Chris' wife. She said that he has a surprise for me too so I said I'll be up here"  
"Erin!" her friend walked in  
"Hey Chris! So what's your surprise? This is supposed to be my first of many today" she put her hands in pockets and walked closer to him  
"Well let me get him" Chris went around the corner and motioned for someone to come towards him and soon a little boy ran up to Erin  
"Jaxon!" she kneeled down and let the nine year old run into her arms  
"Hi Erin!" he hugged her tightly  
"How are you sweetie?" she smiled and gave him a kiss on the head  
"I'm good. How are you?"  
"I'm good too"  
"Chris told me you're going to have a baby"  
"Yes I am" she looked back at me and winked  
"What is it?"  
"It's a girl"  
"Cool. When will you have her?"  
"Sometime in August"  
"That's close to my birthday!"  
"Uh-huh" she kissed his cheek "Did you say hi to Maks?"  
"Hi Maks!" he came over to me and hugged me  
"Hey Jaxon" Jaxon is a little boy with cancer that Erin has grown to be very fond of. She met him two years ago when he came to a game from the Make A Wish foundation and he really wanted to meet her. Since then he's been to a few more games and he hadn't seen her in a while so Chris brought him out to see her now

"You look pretty Erin" he went back over to Erin who was now sitting on a chair  
"Thank you" she pulled him onto her lap and he clinged onto her as much as he could without touching her stomach  
"I missed you"  
"I missed you too. Are you excited for the game?"  
"Uh-huh" he was so shy  
She smiled and they talked for a little while longer before Erin had to get ready  
"I'll see you later alright? I've gotta get ready"  
"K" he jumped off of her lap and hugged her when she stood up  
"Bye kiddo"  
"Bye Erin" he waved and walked down to the end of the hall  
"Thank you for bringing him Chris. I've missed so much him. Is he doing alright?"  
"They thought he had a relapse a few months ago but it was a false alarm. He's as healthy as ever"  
"Good to hear. I've gotta do a few things but I'll see you on the field"  
"Alright. Bye Erin. Bye Maks"  
"Bye"

After the game, they told Erin to go back to her office. We soon found out that they everyone had arranged a baby shower. The whole staff was invited. She got mostly clothes for the baby and a few little things that would help us later on. She even got a few University of Florida baby items which she always dreamed of getting

"What about this place?" Erin was sitting cross-legged with her laptop on her lap "I don't think we'll need four bedrooms but it would be nice if we can afford it"

We've been looking at places because Erin's due date seemed like it was fast approaching- even though it's in a little over three months. We've looked at some places. Some we liked, some we hated. Nothing perfect yet. We wanted a decent sized backyard, at least three bedrooms and a basement if we could find a place with one, which we knew would be hard because this is New York. We've looked in soho and Manhattan and some other places but they were mostly apartments that were too small or expensive.

"We'll have to keep looking" I kissed her cheek and left the room to get something to drink. I heard the distinct typing if her MacBook from the small kitchen.

Just to think that this time two years ago we barely knew each other. This time last year we were barely getting back together, celebrating her birthday. We did kind of rush into the wedding but we were so happy that five months after the engagement we tied the knot in France. It's going to be hard giving this place up considering all of the memories -good and bad- that have happened here. She was selling her place too so all we would have left of these memories are the studios that we've danced in and the restaurants that we've been too. Nashville, Los Angeles.. It'll be hard but it's worth it.

"Babe can you get me a water?"  
"K. I'll be right there" I snapped out of my daze and grabbed us our drinks. I walked in without her really noticing and she was startled when I sat in bed.

"Oh. Um hi" she closed something on the screen  
"What are you looking at?" I tried to grab her laptop but she pulled it away  
"Nothing! Nosy person. Geez" she started typing on it again  
"What are you-"  
"No! Give it to me!" she giggled as I finally pulled it away.  
"WebMD"  
"Always gotta be educated"  
"Twitter.."  
"Of course"  
"YouTube huh?" I continued to scroll down the history  
"Give it back"  
"No"  
"Maksim Aleksandrovich Chmerkovskiy give it back"  
"Erin Jill Andrews, I will not"  
She rolled her eyes "Come on. Please?"  
"You know it's kinda sexy when you say my whole name.. Do it again"  
She slapped me and tried to grab it back again  
"Was I really gone that long?"  
"I get bored ok?" she grabbed it back embarrassed.  
I kissed her on the cheek and gave her her water "I love you"  
"Love you too"

"And this is the last house today" the realtor had taken us to two other houses and a penthouse today but none of those seemed right. This was one was in a good area and it seemed large from the front. We walked in to the house and to the left was a den and to the right was stairs. "This is a four bedroom, 2 and a half bathroom house. The last owner had no pets and they didn't smoke" it was all hardwood floor except for the bedrooms which had carpeting. The kitchen was big with a view of the backyard. We saw the bedrooms and loved them all, especially the one right next to the master bedroom. The house was previously owned by a family and this room had been painted lilac.  
"This is her room" Erin walked in "Her crib here, dresser here. It's perfect" she smiled and took my hand "Like it?"  
"I love it" I kissed her cheek and the realtor said she had a surprise for us  
"I know you said that you are a dancer so I thought this would be a nice bonus"  
She walked into the basement and she turned on the lights. It was perfect. It looked like they stole a piece of my studio and put it here  
"Aww Maks" she leaned her head against my shoulder  
"The family didn't give it much use so it's still fairly new. Their's also a little game room back there"  
"Ooh!" Erin walked into the smaller room that had a flat screen, a fooseball table  
"I know where she'll be.."  
"Babe this place is perfect" she walked back out  
"The whole house right? Not just your little room in the basement?"  
"Yes, the whole house"  
"We can afford it. I like it a lot"  
She nodded enthusiastically.

Later that week we signed the papers to buy the house and we could move in the next week. We needed as much time as we could get. By the time we settle in, Erin would be seven months along so we would need help with some things.

We bought the rest of the furniture for the baby's room and we spent the whole weekend setting it up.

"I love it"  
"I love it too"

Erin was now almost seven months and the list of things that she was allowed to do has been decreasing. Her ankles started to swell and her back hurt every now and then. The infamous sex hormone that all women got had faded away too.

We've since moved into the new house. Most of the rooms were ready, a few more pieces of furniture needed to come from Erin's now sold Atlanta home but other than that we were happy.

We decided to celebrate our new house and her birthday by having a party here. We invited some of the cast from season 10, some family and people from our jobs. Erin was ecstatic that Chris brought Jaxon again. It was like a baby shower too considering that almost half of the people that were invited brung things for the baby.

My friends were impressed with the dance studio in the basement and Erin's friends were impressed by her little game room. Everyone made their way down their by the end of the party and I walked over to Erin who was talking to Niecy and Anna in the corner with her hand on her stomach.

"Maks!" Niecy hugged me "I love the house. Mind if me and the hubby move in too? It's nice. Or do you guys still need a little bit of privacy?" she added a wink  
"Bye Niecy" Erin walked away embarrassed and she took me by the hand.  
"Isn't she something?"  
She giggled "Yes she is" she crossed her arms and smiled "Everyone seems to like the place"  
I kissed her cheek and I heard Niecy yell from the corner "Hey lovebirds!" we both turned around wondering what she would say now "Give us a little dance. It's been a few years, long enough wait dontcha think?"

Erin shrugged "Want to?"  
"Can you?" I looked down at her stomach, standing close would be hard  
"I don't see why not"  
Everyone cleared the dance floor and Tony put on a song. A sultry R&B song came on while we got in a hold.

"Tony!"  
"Come on, don't be a wuss"  
"Child is present!" Erin was referring to Jaxon, who was sitting on a chair with his mom, and our unborn child "She can hear things too "  
He mumbled under his breath as he changed it to a Latin song  
"Ready?"

We started dancing a little of what we could remember then we just started twirling each other around similar to what we did on Regis and Kelly, swaying back and forth. Eventually, everyone else joined us on the floor.

Erin and I remained close in our hold  
"Maks. The baby" she stopped and put my hand on her stomach "She's kicking. She's kicking!" she smiled and kissed me.

To know that our little creation was there dancing with us in her own way was phenomenal. Erin was right about the baby being able to hear the sounds and feel us dance. To think that she's already dancing is amazing. She'll fit right in.

We continued to dance as close as we could "I think she picked it up faster than you did" I whispered in her ear  
She laughed "Probably. We're going to have competition now huh?"  
"Wonderful" I looked over and saw Jaxon still sitting with his mom almost feeling left out. He smiled at me "I think someone else wants to dance with you" she looked confused and I motioned for her to turn around. He smiled instantly and waved. She waved back "Come on" I followed her to Jaxon "Would you like to dance with me Hun?"  
He nodded and followed Erin to the dance floor. I decided to sit this one out next to Tony and Val.  
"Who's the man that stole your girl?" Val nudged my shoulder.  
"Nothing to worry about guys. I trust him" I leaned back in my seat and watched them dance. Erin bent over a little, holding both of his hands trying to get him out of his shell a little. He eased into dancing and when the song ended she bent down and pulled him into her arms and kissed his forehead a few times. He giggled and pushed away like any typical embarrassed child that was scared that people would see an adult being "mushy" on them. She smiled and sent him back off to his mom.

"Make sure he didn't get her number!" Tony and Val laughed at how hilarious they thought they were being.  
"He'll probably get it faster than you did" they started cracking up again  
I rolled my eyes and went over to Erin.  
"He has to leave. I love him so much" we started dancing a little more  
"I know you do. You know you'll be a great mom right?"  
She tucked a stand of hair behind her ear and looked down as she smiled "Nah.."  
"You know it. Jaxon is like your own child pretty much"  
"Yeah. I guess" she shrugged innocently  
I smiled and kissed her head, swaying to the music and dancing the night away.

This house was a great decision. If every night could be like this then it would be amazing.

Erin's POV  
After the party Maks and I cleaned up a little before going to bed. It was almost 2 and I couldn't really sleep so decided to walk around the house.

After gently getting out of bed I walked over to the nursery. All of the furniture had been set up with the help of Val and Tony. The crib was in the corner by the window. The light focused on it perfectly. The dresser was on the opposite side of the room next to the changing table.

We decided finally on a theme- a garden. We painted flower stencils on the wall and the blankets had different flowers and cute cartoon bugs. It was hard to choose a theme actually. It was obvious that a boy's room would be sports but a girl in general seemed a little more challenging to me. It's not that I wanted a boy more than a girl, I was happy to even be having a baby but, they seemed less simple. She would have dresses and bows in her hair. In her terrible twos and threes, she would argue that she wanted the purple dress over the pink one. She would say how much she wanted a new dress up accessory that we couldn't get and say that she needed it and that it would be the last thing she would ever ask for.

Mom and dad said that Kendra and I never did that. I heard that your child's behavior was usually similar to the parent's. Kendra was loud in her own ways at times but never wild and obnoxious. They said since an early age, I had always been bubbly and sweet.

I wonder how Maks was.. We never talked much about our childhood. He must have been the shyest little thing. Aww, he must have been cute. I remember when they showed a video of him when he was little at DWTS. I think he was a bunny. Nonetheless he was adorable. Always has been, always will be.

By this point I was down in the kitchen so I got some leftovers. I wasn't having a lot of those crazy cravings. No sardines or pickles, anything like that. I leaned against the counter eating trail mix remembering how Maks would tease me during DWTS about it.

'Mines has cranberries and nuts. Yours has M&Ms, chocolate chips, peanut butter chips and raisins' I smiled to myself thinking of that day. It was one of our first rehearsals that I looked up on YouTube every once and a while.

I looked at the other edge of the counter and thought how our little girl would sit on it baking cookies or would sit in her highchair eating across from me while I wash the dishes with Maks.

This was honestly the perfect house. I couldn't ask for any better. We've only been here for a little while and we already had memories and I thought of other ones from our old houses.

I took my trail mix over to the living room and looked at some of the presents I got. One of my favorites had to have been from Jaxon and his mom. He came up to me with two presents, one from him and one from his mom. He got me an outfit for the baby with a hand-drawn card and his mom gave me a purple journal. I was confused at first but she explained it to me.

"When I found out that I was having him I was so excited. I wrote things a lot and I thought it would be nice to keep a journal of my thoughts of being pregnant. I even read a few passages to him now and he loves it. I thought it would be nice. And Jaxon suggested to make it a purple journal because he knows how you love the color"

I sat down on the couch and thought of things to write

"Where do I start?" I tapped the pen against the page. I sighed and finally thought of something.

_"Hi sweetie,__  
__I want you to know how much I love you. Even though I haven't seen you yet, it's amazing to know that you're here. Your father and I have always wanted a family and you're like our little miracle. At this point I'm almost seven months along and it's actually my birthday today. We had a party here and we danced in the basement. My friend Niecy (trust me, you'll get to know her well) told me and Maks to dance and we did and as we were dancing you kicked for the first time. We were so excited that you could hear the music as we danced.___

_Dancing was actually the way that your father and I met. I had a hard time with things and I needed to get back to normal and this show came along called 'Dancing With the Stars'. I had always watched it and loved it. I almost turned it down but after a while I decided to do it. I'm really tall and I only really had two guys to go with. Maks or his best friend Tony. I've always liked Maks and I asked for him but I knew I wouldn't get him. The day came where I would meet my partner and I was ready for it to be Tony but then this gorgeous man walked in. He was charming and sweet and we hit it off instantly. I got kinda nervous around him because of how much I liked him.___

_Eventually we dated. We had a few rough spots but then we realized that we belonged together and after realizing that we still loved each other, he proposed. It was so sweet. Soon after, we got married and on vacation we found out that I was going to have you. I can never forget the date: January 29th, 2013. The day our dreams came true.___

_I love you very much and I can't wait to see you"_

I signed the date 5/5/13 even though I really wanted to sign it the fourth. Should have written this before midnight.

It was already 3AM so I decided to go to bed. I pulled the journal close to my chest and walked up the stairs. I put the journal in the nightstand and cuddled up to Maks.


End file.
